The basics: Egypt is a large, mostly Arab, mostly Muslim country. At around 80 million people, it has the largest population in the Middle East and the third-largest in Africa. Most of Egypt is in North Africa, although the part of the country that borders Israel, the Sinai peninsula, is in Asia. Its other neighbors are Sudan (to the South), Libya (to the West), and Saudi Arabia (across the Gulf of Aqaba to the East). It has been ruled by Hosni Mubarak since 1981.
What's happening? Inspired by the recent protests that led to the fall of the Tunisian government and the ousting of longtime Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Egyptians have joined other protesters across the Arab world (in Algeria, notably) in protesting their autocratic governments, high levels of corruption, and grinding poverty. In Egypt, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets. Here's a photo of one of the protests in Cairo, the capital. Why are Egyptians unhappy? They have basically no more freedom than Tunisians. Egypt is ranked 138th of 167 countries on The Economist's Democracy index, a widely accepted measure of political freedom. That ranking puts Egypt just seven spots ahead of Tunisia. And Egyptians are significantly poorer than their cousins to the west.
(The above photo and facts are extracts from http://motherjones.com)
Step 2: Go to the top of this wikispace page and click on DISCUSSION.
Step 3: Click on + New Post
Step 4: You will need to Sign In. Use these for your sign in:
Name: mvstudent1
Password: cv91214
Step 5: Name your post using: Your First Name - Egypt (for example: Karen - Egypt)
Step 6: Answer ONE or more of the questions below by typing your response in the Discussion Post. You can copy and paste these questions into your post to help you remember.
In America, we have many freedoms. We have the freedom of speech and the right to vote for our president and state and local leaders. How would you feel if your right to vote was taken away?
What forms of communication do you think the people of Egypt have used to organize their protest? How important is technology in our communication?
From what you have learned about Egyptian history, how is Egypt the same as it was in ancient history?
Step 7: Click "Post" to save your post.
Step 8: If others have posted, you may read their posts and reply thoughtfully. These posts will be monitored.
Step 1: Read the information below.
The basics: Egypt is a large, mostly Arab, mostly Muslim country. At around 80 million people, it has the largest population in the Middle East and the third-largest in Africa. Most of Egypt is in North Africa, although the part of the country that borders Israel, the Sinai peninsula, is in Asia. Its other neighbors are Sudan (to the South), Libya (to the West), and Saudi Arabia (across the Gulf of Aqaba to the East). It has been ruled by Hosni Mubarak since 1981.
What's happening? Inspired by the recent protests that led to the fall of the Tunisian government and the ousting of longtime Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Egyptians have joined other protesters across the Arab world (in Algeria, notably) in protesting their autocratic governments, high levels of corruption, and grinding poverty. In Egypt, tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets. Here's a photo of one of the protests in Cairo, the capital.
Why are Egyptians unhappy? They have basically no more freedom than Tunisians. Egypt is ranked 138th of 167 countries on The Economist's Democracy index, a widely accepted measure of political freedom. That ranking puts Egypt just seven spots ahead of Tunisia. And Egyptians are significantly poorer than their cousins to the west.
(The above photo and facts are extracts from http://motherjones.com)
Step 2: Go to the top of this wikispace page and click on DISCUSSION.
Step 3: Click on + New Post
Step 4: You will need to Sign In. Use these for your sign in:
Name: mvstudent1
Password: cv91214Step 5: Name your post using: Your First Name - Egypt (for example: Karen - Egypt)
Step 6: Answer ONE or more of the questions below by typing your response in the Discussion Post. You can copy and paste these questions into your post to help you remember.
Step 7: Click "Post" to save your post.
Step 8: If others have posted, you may read their posts and reply thoughtfully. These posts will be monitored.